As Scottish voters prepare for this autumn’s national referendum on leaving the United Kingdom, military historian Tony Mullis looks back on the country’s earlier, bloodier struggle for independence and a pivotal battle exactly 700 years ago.

In 1314, English King Edward II led an army north to quell the rebellious Scots and their king, Robert Bruce. At the Battle of Bannockburn on June 24, 1314, the Scots prevailed despite being outnumbered 2-1, forcing the English to formally concede Scotland’s independence.

A frequent speaker at the Library, Mullis is a professor of military history at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth.